Mail-box signal



May 29, 1928 H. A. FARRELL MAIL 130x SIGNAL Filed June 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ii. (if; 1 7 6; Z

uni 98 Patented May 29, 1223. I

t atif so sre-TE FEE-mt...

, HORACE ALBERT FARREL or return. O LA OM MAIL-BOX SIGNAL.

Application filed June 21; 1927. Serial No. 2003450.

Thisinvention relates to mail box signals and more particularly to a signal for'indicating to the occupants of a residence that their mail boyhas been opened, so that they may .5 determine whether the mail-man has passed or not. Y 1

Inmany instances, the mail boxes in rural districts are located quite a distance'from the house, and while a borrniay be visible from 10 the house or from a point adjacent thereto, there is no means for determining whether the mail-man has passed or not unless he is actually sighted} while passing; This very often results 1n a conslderable loss of time or 1.5 the distraction of the attention of the occupants oi the house, particularly where an 1111- portant communication is. awaited. An imporant ob ect t this inventlon is to provide a signal which will be'shiftedto signalling positionby the opening of the mailbox and will remain in this position until manually released.

A further obj ectof the invention is to providea device of this character which may be .3 ve y readily attached to existing mail boxes without altering the present Construction thereof and without the use of any other tools than those ordinarily possessed by occupants of rural districts.

These and other objects I attain by the com I struction shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of; my invention and whereinz- Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the usual rural mail box having the usual end door llmounted upon a transverselv extending pivot 12,211; one end of the-box. These piv ots usually consist of a 7 rod which is ofiset against a Washer 13 arranged at the outer surface of the side Wall 14 of the. box. These side walls 14 usuallyextend below the bottom 15 of the box, as indicated at 16.

the side wall-and hold the plate I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mailbox Inaccordancewith myinvention, I provide a plate'1-7 having at one corner thereof a slot ltiadapted to receive thepivot 12 between the washer 1 3 at theassociatedend and the side wall-140i"- the box. The bottomedge of this plate has a hooked flange 19 adapted' to engage the downwardly projecting end 16 of against rotation about the pivot l2. This plate has formedthe-rethroughan opening 20 for the passage ofa securing element 21 which likewise extends through the wall 14 and serves to anchor the plate againstdownw'ard displacement. The securing element 21 likewise terms a pivot, which will hereinafter more particularly appear. q g

The plate 17 is turtherprovided with an ornate slot 22 extending through approximately 90- and arranged between the pivot and that corner of; the plate having the slot 18. The edge of the slot 22 remote from the pivot 21- has shoulders 23 pressed outwardly and forming ratchet teeth, for a purpose presently to appear.

Mounted upon the pivot 21 between the wall 14 and plate 17 is a semaphore arm 24 having at its upper end a flag 25preferably formed of readily bendable material and positioned after application- 01"- the device so that it is disposed at right angles to thedwelling of the owner of the box and ertends outwardly from the arm with respect to the box. The lower Iend of the arm'is ex"- tended through the'slot 22, the plate 17 be slightly oiiset at the ends of the slot, as indicated at 26', to provide space for ac'com mod'ation of the arm. This lower end of the arm preferably has one edge thereot bent to form a tooth 27 for coaction with the ratchet teeth 23, although. this structure may. be dispensed with and the edge of the arm em 'iloycd to engage the ratchet teeth, it so' desired.

To the door 11, I secure a plate 28 to which is pivoted an arm 29 which.' extends between the semaphore arm 24 and the adjaltlt] cent surface'ot the wall 140i the box. The

free end of this arm has a revert 30 fiorming a hook which will engage the arm 24 as the arm is drawn forwardly by opening of the box and swing the arm 24 to signallingposition. To increase the movement imparted to the arm 24 by the arm29, the under surface of this arm i's provided with a cam tace31 which engages with" the pivot 21 and causes the arm 29 to elevate and to move movement, the lower end of the arm swings over the ratchet teeth 23 which will effectually serve to prevent its-return movementuntil its lower end is engaged with the hand and flexed outwardly sufiiciently to permit its return by the teeth 23. The arm 29 may,

of course, make the return movement which is imparted thereto by the closure ofv the box without in any manner. interfering with the arm' 24 or changing the position thereof.

Attention is directed to the fact that the flange 19 not only serves to prevent rotation ofthe plate 17, but likewise greatly facili- 'tates application of this'plate to the mail box. In this application, all that is necessary is that the slot- 18 be engaged over the rodlfl behind the washer l3 and the plate rotated until its flange comes into engagement with the bottom of the side wall of the box. The opening of the plate 17 then forms a guide for the formation of the pivot opening in the side wall of the mail box, so that an error in the application of the plate becomes impossible and practically anyone can attend to the installation.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially depait ing from the spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structure except as herelnafter claimed.

I claim 1. The combination with a rural mail box having the usual door shiftable from open to closed positions, of a signal arm plvoted to the mail box and movable from non-signailing to signallingposition, an operating arm pivoted to the door and engaging the signal arm as the door is opened to move the signal arm from non-signalling to signalling I position and a ratchet with which the signal arm c oacts to prevent its return to non-signalling position, said signal arm being manually flexible to disengage it from said ratchet.

The combination with a rural mail box having the usual door shiftahle from open to closed positions, of a signal arm pivoted to the mail box and movable from non-signalling to signalling position, an operating '1'111 pivoted to the door and engaging the signal arm as the door is opened to move the 7 signal arm from non-signallin g to signalling position and means from which the signal arm is manually releasable for retainlng the signal arm .in signalling postion, said oper-' ating arm in the closed position thereof resting upon the pivot of the signal arm, the

under surface of said arm having a cam face for engagement with said pivot whereby the free end of the arm is elevated as the door is opened, the free end of said arm having an angular portion engaging the signal arm to shiftthe same.

3. The combination with a mail box having the usual pivoted end door movable to open and closed positions, of a plate, means securing the plate against the sideface of the mail box adjacent the end thereof having the door including a member forming a pivot, a signal arm rotatably mounted upon said pivot and extended through a slot formed in said plate, an edge of the slot having ratchet teeth for coaction with the signal arm and an arm pivoted to the door and ope'ratively engaging the signal arm during opening movement of. the door to shift the signalarm from non-signalling to signalling position.

i. The combination with a mail box havr vduring openingmovement of the door to shift the signal arm from non-signalling to signalling position, the arm pivoted to the door havin its under surface in en 'a 'e-H t: b h

ment with the' pivot and being provided upon such under surface with a cam face engaging the pivot to elevate the free end of the arm during longitudinal movement thereof resulting from opening ofthe door of the mail box. c

5. The combination as claimed in claim 3, wherein the door of the mail box is pivoted upon a rod the ends of'which extend beyond the outer faces of they sides of the mailbox and areoffset against washers to retain the same and a plate provided withajslot receiving the pivot rod between the washer at one end of the rod and theadjacent face of the mail box'side.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 3, wherein the door of the mail box gis-pivoted upon a rod the ends of which extend beyond the outer faces of the sides of the mail box. and are offset against washers to retain the same and a plate providedwith a slot receiving the pivot rod between the washer at one end of the rod and the adjacent face of the mail boxside and the lower edge of the plate has a hooked. flange engaging the bottom of the side wall of the mail box.

In testimony whereof hereunto afiix my signature. 

